Interview: Siobhan Vivian

I love A Little Friendly Advice. I've given the book to teens who also loved it, so it's not odd at all to hear someone come into my store and declare, "I heart ALFA." I enjoyed the book for a million different reasons: the writing, the storytelling, the characters, everything that spun together like cotton candy to make for a sweet, memorable book. Even the cover is fantastic - and it's also true to the story, but more about that later.

I also enjoy the storyteller. Whether we're talking about literature or food, little things or big coincidences, Siobhan Vivian never fails to crack me up. It is my absolute pleasure to present An Interview with -

Wait. Okay, first of all, for people out there who have difficulties pronouncing Siobhan, I'm going to sound it out: Shove-on.

Now we can move on. (But no pushing!)

Which came first, the title or the main plotline?

The title came first . . . though it was not originally A Little Friendly Advice.

I had been strolling through the big Diane Arbus exhibition at LACMA on Easter Sunday 2003. I remember the day exactly, because the museum was totally empty and I could get up close to all the pictures.

One photo in particular caught my eye, and I stared for at least 20 minutes. It was of a tough-looking girl wearing a jean jacket covered in little buttons. I couldn’t exactly make out what was written on them, but one looked to say something like Lost Daddy's Love...

The story exploded into my head right then and there. I ran outside and scribbled a rough plot down on my museum map, and Lost Daddy's Love became the working title.

( Read more... )

Many, many thanks to Siobhan for the conversation, the laughter, and the pins. You rock, lady!

Read my review of A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian.

Read the ALFA roundtable discussion between Angela, Alexia, and Little Willow.

Drop by her website and LiveJournal. Siobhan is also a member of The Longstockings.